Friend of the blog, NYT Best Selling Author, and irl friend Wiley Cash (pictured above with his lovely wife and my potty-mouthed political soulmate Mallory) has a new book out, and I spoke with him earlier today and he is very excited to hold another livechat with the blog. Alain, site guru, is tinkering around with a way to maybe have audio and video embedded in the post so you all can get the full Wiley.

He’s doing a lot of touring for the next few months, but I am sure we can fit him in some time at his convenience, so I thought I would check with you all about some possible times. Would nine or ten pm be too late for east coasters, so we can make sure west coasters are home from work?

I had to explain the background to G, but he laughed pretty hard at the photo.

It took the AAA locksmith about 5 minutes to get into my car and retrieve my keys, which was a little unnerving. Oh well. The biggest injury was to my pride since it was in our secure parking lot at work and all of my coworkers had an opportunity to point and laugh at me.

@NotMax: My new Passat came with two key fobs. One is safely ensconced at my parents’ house. Although it’s virtually impossible to lock the keys in the car, as you have to consciously lock it manually with the doors shut and the fob outside.

I have a second car key at home, but it didn’t do me any good since my apartment keys were on the key ring that was locked in the car. And of course this happened on one of the two days that G works until 9 pm.

At one time was given a gargantuan Chrysler Town & Country station wagon with ‘child-proof’ locks on the rear doors. Had to push in a little tab in order to be able to pull up the knob thingie to unlock the door from the inside.

The only people who were stymied by those or ended up fumbling with them were, naturally, adults.

@Mnemosyne: I lost my keys when I was in college at Cal Poly Pomona, and if you’ve ever been there it’s a really big campus. Someone found them in the Music Dept, where I spent most of my time, and had the campus police pick them up. I think it was over half a mile to their little building back then but I kept a spare key in my wallet so I just drove over to get them, once I had the directions. I think the office was out in an orange grove at the time, probably campus housing now.

Keyless cars have a downside. My sister’s Prius would unlock itself when we got “near enough” and even start if the button was pushed. This meant when we did yard work near the car, it might unlock. We had foster toddlers at the time who were in love with cars. They got in the cars a few times and scared us. Even without kids, the unlock itself quietly “feature” seemed like a bad idea. Sometimes we found the car unlocked when we had just locked it. It needs to be button only. Car company didn’t have choices, just assumed they knew how everybody wanted it.

Cole, you’re right, this is very exciting news! Very excited about the book – the last live chat with him was really great.

Wiley, if you are reading this thread and thinking that no one is excited, you have to realize that we are easily distracted. Somehow this turned into a “left my keys in the car” thread, but please don’t take it personally.

Now I’m off to read enough about the book to know whether it would be good Christmas gift material.

Was driving from WV to Arizona alone years ago in big Ford truck. Stopped in OK just shy of the TX panhandle, which I try to drive in one swoop, not stopping except perhaps for a bathroom break (heh) checked into standard Interstate hotel, went back out to truck to go to dinner, keys lying on the drivers seat all locked up.

What was really stupid, the truck had the numbered keypad below the handle, but I didn’t remember the code!!! $80 later deskclerk’s buddy had it popped open, I wrote the door code down and put in in my wallet. So dumb feeling!!! Plus 1600 miles from home. Now I have AAA, has been very useful.

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